Finally The Release Of ‘Age of Empires IV’ Has Been Announced By Microsoft Studios

Great news history nerds everywhere: A new Age of Empires game, Age of Empires 4, has been announced by Microsoft Studios.

The first proper entry in the series since 2005’s AoE 3, the series will return in style along with a remaster of the original Age Of Empires in 4K.

Relic Entertainment is the studio making Age of Empires 4, taking over from the now-defunct Ensemble Studios. Vancouver-based Relic is a highly regarded developer of real-time strategy titles with entries in huge franchises including Warhammer, Homeworld and Company of Heroes

“Relic Entertainment has a wealth of experience in creating high-quality RTS games, making them the ideal partner to develop Age of Empires 4,” said Adam Isgreen, creative director at Microsoft Studios, in an Xbox Wire post. “We are thrilled to be working with them and can’t wait for fans to see their unique and exciting contribution to the Age of Empires franchise.”

“We can’t wait to tap into our strengths as a studio to fuse historical context with deep strategic gameplay, and to bring this franchise back to the forefront of gaming and into the hands of its beloved community,”

While no release window has been specified, you can check out a concept teaser for the game below, giving fans a hint of what’s sure to be another terrific entry in the series:

The remaster of the original AoE will be titled Age Of Empires: Definitive Edition, and will be a full 4k version of the classic title to be released on October 19th, exclusively on the Windows store.

Microsoft are also working on similar remasters for AoE 2 & 3, a big upgrade from the ground-up rather than the simpler work done in the Age of Empires 2 HD remaster released in 2013.